Glove and war: Prior is the vital cog in England's wheel... and he's on an Ashes roll

Matt Prior held his breath as he watched Alastair Cook clutch his shoulder after a tumble during England's Champions Trophy campaign. The reality had dawned that he is an injury away from captaining England in the Ashes.

'I was thinking "Get up, get up" but he seems fine,' said Prior. 'It made me think about what could happen and that brought me out in a cold sweat. If anything did happen to Cookie I'd have to step up and I'm sure I could do a good job. But I don't think you really know how you'd do until it actually happens.'

If the worst did happen, Prior, who has just two first-class matches as captain to his name, would do just fine.

His elevation to the vice-captaincy first came when Stuart Broad was left out in India but the fact he has kept the job is a reflection of his status within the England team.

It has sometimes been a rocky road but Prior is now established as one of the most important cogs in England's Ashes wheel, both as a world-class wicketkeeper-batsman and as a selfless team man.

'I take it with a pinch of salt,' he says of comparisons with the very best keeper-batsmen the game has known.

'It's great to be compared with the best but a couple of dropped catches and I will be thought of as the worst ever. I work hard and I want to do well for England. Consistency is the key for me and that is one part of my game I've been happy with over the last few years. Hopefully that will continue.'

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It has not always been this way. Prior was a very raw keeper when he was first picked for England and had to be dropped before he could come back stronger.

As such, he can sympathise with the plight of Nick Compton, left out of England's Ashes warm-up game against Essex and seemingly out of the picture.

'Nick will be hurting,' said Prior. 'I have been there and when you are left out it's a horrible feeling and you can feel a bit lost.

'The important thing is, and I can go on my own experience, is that you look forward and the decisions you make now are pretty important.

'All you can do is go back to county cricket, score heavily and prove your point to the selectors.

'I was left out in 2008 but I got the bit between my teeth and tried to prove people wrong. You have to kick the door down.'

But everyone connected with England has been impressed with the man destined to open in Compton's place for the Ashes and, conceivably, for years to come. Joe Root has been nothing short of a revelation for England.

'Joe is naturally an opening bat,' said Prior. 'That is where he has played and it was inevitable he'd end up opening for England. The start he has had in international cricket is phenomenal. You must have a certain temperament to open and Rooty has.'

The only incident that can even be considered a setback for Root so far was the extraordinary business of him being punched by David Warner in a Birmingham bar. Prior, in common with all in cricket, was astonished when he heard what had happened.

Sensation: Joe Root has been a revelation for England and is set to open the batting this summer

'I wasn't sure it was true at first and it sounded ridiculous,' said Prior. 'I thought "Poor innocent Rooty"! The important thing for us is not to get caught up in stuff off the field that is ridiculous.

'We want to concentrate on stuff on the pitch and make sure we do our talking there. We will go quietly about our business and hopefully we can perform well and win. That would hurt the Aussies more than anything else.'

Matt Prior was launching an ECB campaign to mark the upcoming Investec Ashes series, calling on fans to #RISE for England. See ecb.co.uk/ashes